ambrosial means pertaining to or worthy of the gods. It carries an Arena rating of 1649, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, ambrosial ranks #34 of 17,120 for Most Beautiful Words, #804 of 17,093 for Most Storied Words, #2,356 of 40,262 for Qualifying, #4,841 of 17,115 for Most Vivid Words.
ambrosial is pronounced /amˈbɹəʊzɪəl/.
Why “ambrosial” is a great word
Exceptionally pleasing to taste or smell; deliciously fragrant. From ambrosia (from Greek ambrosios, "immortal, divine, of ambrosia") + the English adjectival suffix -al. First recorded in English use in the 1590s. Unlike "fragrant," a general and earthbound pleasantness, or "savory," which speaks of piquant and satisfying depth, ambrosial insists on a sweetness, a perfume, and a delight so perfect it borders on the sacred. It is the scent of ripe peaches warming in a sunlit orchard, the first taste of wild honey stolen from the comb, the ghost of jasmine on a still summer night—a sensory proof that paradise, however fleeting, can be tasted and smelled.
Etymology
Partly from ambrosia and partly from Latin ambrosius, + -al.
adj
- Pertaining to or worthy of the gods.e.g.“And whilst he slept she [Venus] over him would spred / Her mantle, colour’d like the starry skyes, / And her soft arme lay underneath his hed, / And with ambrosiall kisses bathe his eyes [...]”
- Succulently sweet or fragrant; balmy, divine.
Words closest in meaning
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